Hawai‘i Hotel Reef Stewardship Guide

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About this Guide

Energy, water, and wastewater are the most popular sustainability areas focused on by the accommodations industry. Your property can reduce its “ecological footprint” by systematically addressing these areas of concern, all while realizing significant cost savings. But there are also many other ways you can promote, support and perpetuate Hawai‘i’s unique natural environment and culture. This guide will assist you and your property in exploring new approaches, tools, and resources in support of sustainability.

An increasing number of visitors worldwide—and particularly in Hawai‘i—are seeking a genuine natural and cultural experience in the place they are visiting, and are becoming more discerning and aware of “greenwashing.” In this guide we demonstrate the value of making your hotel more reef-friendly, not just from a conservation standpoint, but from a marketing perspective.

This resource guide can help your property take stock of its own operations, review and be inspired by examples of others’ efforts, and find resources to assist in implementing new strategies within your own property. As many resorts in Hawai‘i are situated along the shoreline, they play an important role and shoulder significant responsibility to serve as a “line of defense” for the coastal ecosystem. Suggestions in this guide, and additional technical resources will provide the accommodations industry the tools you need to ensure that you are helping to maintain a healthy coastal environment.

Case studies were compiled through observations made by our team, information submitted by resort representatives, and publicly available information online, particularly the Hawai‘i Green Business Program’s “Their Stories.”

Please feel free to provide any feedback or content suggestions, as well as proposed edits or corrections, to CORAL at info@coral.org.

Numerous programs, companies, resorts, organizations, and individuals are mentioned in this guide. Although they are introduced in this publication, CORAL does not endorse any particular business, program, or product.